1898 - China Through the Eyes of a British Woman

Author: Isabella Bird
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: The English title of this book is The Yangtze Valley and Beyond, which is a travelogue by British traveler Isabella Bird (1831–1904) in China. It is based on her field investigations in the Yangtze River Basin and Sichuan-Tibetan regions, providing firsthand information to the British Church and commercial groups about the "sphere of influence" of Great Britain in this region. The translator named it 1898: A British Woman’s View of China to make it clear at a glance that it is an old book from a century ago, covering the late Qing society of China. The late Qing period was a time when Chinese society was transitioning from a traditional agrarian society to an modern industrial society. During this period, the economic structure of traditional Chinese agrarian society was gradually changing. From this book, it can be seen that while self-sufficient economies still dominated in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the proportion of commodity economy in the lower reaches, especially in coastal areas, was steadily increasing. The supporting systems of commodity economy, such as banks, credit, financial insurance, were already well-developed. Shanghai had become an Eastern financial capital, "holding an important position among the world’s largest commercial centers, with import and export values reaching 37,670,875 pounds in 1898." Along the Yangtze River, the commercial ports of Wuhu and Jiujiang each had their own fleets, with annual trade volumes reaching millions of pounds. Major cities such as Nanjing, Yangzhou, and Anqing had highly organized commercial and social lives, chambers of commerce, and charitable organizations, and a glance could reveal a thriving business environment. Hangzhou had also become a silk capital with "7,000 handlooms for silk weaving," providing long-term employment for thousands of people." In late 19th-century China, modern enterprises such as factories, railways, steamships, and docks emerged continuously, and the modern economic system had taken shape. This economic structural change led to a series of significant transformations in the late Qing society in various fields such as economy, politics, and culture. However, the transformation of the late Qing society was not driven from within but rather was an inevitable response to external coercion, lacking institutional construction adapted to the modern economic system. Additionally, traditional culture failed to evolve into a spiritual driving force for modernization in China, resulting in immense resistance to social transformation. The late Qing society was plagued by corrupt governance, the sale of official positions, widespread bribery, and increasingly acute class and national conflicts. During the author’s travels along the Yangtze River, China had just suffered a defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War and signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, with a pervasive nationalistic sentiment of anti-foreignism and exclusionism throughout society. China was on the brink of the Boxer Rebellion, and the Qing Dynasty’s ideological, political, economic, and cultural systems had malfunctioned, ultimately leading to the collapse of the Qing government. Studying, learning from, and drawing lessons from the failures of the late Qing social transformation is undoubtedly a meaningful endeavor. 1898: A British Woman’s View of China was completed against this backdrop of social upheaval. It was hailed by British media upon its first publication in the UK as "providing firsthand materials for the formation of public opinion on China and China-related issues" (Preface by the Author), becoming an important document for the West to understand China at the time. The author, Isabella Bird, embarked on a 15-month journey along the Yangtze River and Sichuan-Tibetan regions, covering over 5,000 miles. She navigated the rapids and of the Three Gorges, trekked through the towering mountains of eastern and western Sichuan, passed through the fertile Chengdu Plain, and crossed the snow-capped mountains of Sichuan-Tibet at altitudes of 4,000 to 5,000 meters, enduring countless hardships. After returning to Britain, she wrote this book based on her diaries and sketches, including 113 photographs she took along the way (to more vividly reflect the era and social conditions, the editors added over a dozen precious historical photographs when publishing this book), making it a richly illustrated and valuable reference for studying the late Qing society. Isabella’s travel route along the Yangtze River and Sichuan-Tibetan regions can be divided into seven stages. Stage 1, she traveled by local wooden boats from Shanghai to Hangzhou, passing through Shaoxing and Ningbo before returning to Shanghai (Chapters 1–3). Stage 2, she took foreign steamships from Shanghai via Zhenjiang, Wuhu, and Jiujiang to Hankou, and then from Hankou to Shashi and finally to Yichang (Chapters 4–9). Stage 3, she traveled by sailboat from Yichang, passing through the magnificent Three Gorges, and reached Wanzhou via Fengjie (Kuifu), Yunyang (Chapters 10–16). Stage 4, she traveled by land from Wanzhou via Liangping (Liangshan County), Qu County, Yingshan, Nanbu, and reached Langzhong (Baoning Prefecture). Then she passed through Cangxi, Jianjiang, Zitong, Mianyang, Peng County, Guan County, and finally reached Chengdu (Chapters 18–28). Stage 5, she traveled from Guan County via Wenchuan (Weizhou, Lifan Prefecture), Lixian (Zagula), Miyaluo to Suomo in, and then returned to Chengdu (Chapters 29–34). Stage 6, she traveled by "Wubang boats" (small boats with bamboo canopies, resembling a fish and called "Wubang" by Sichuan locals) along the Min River from Chengdu, passing through Meishan, Leshan (Jiadings Prefecture), Yibin (Xu Prefecture), Luzhou, and finally reached Chongqing (Chapters 35–37). Stage 7 was the return journey, where she bought a boat in Chongqing and traveled eastward back to Shanghai. The author recorded her observations and comments in chronological order based on the places she visited, publishing her thoughts that seemed spontaneous yet were carefully chosen and arranged. Despite having been attacked by "mob" and experiencing the terror of being in dire straits, Isabella maintained a calm, rational, and objective attitude toward everything around her. Through her cultural perspective, we can appreciate the author’s extraordinary observational skills. The book describes the landscapes, historical sites, customs, and folk traditions along the way with beautiful and sincere prose, especially the vivid descriptions of the magnificent scenery in the Three Gorges and Sichuan-Tibetan regions, which leave readers yearning for the experience. Westerners who explored the Yangtze River were often inspired by the vast population, grand scale, and abundant resources of this great river to explore and seek adventure. During this period, many explorers emerged, publishing a series of works such as The Central Empire, China’s West, Through the Three Gorges, Upper Jinsha River, and Upper Yangtze. However, facing the turbid and vast waters of the Yangtze, Isabella believed that "it would be a mistake to write about the Yangtze Valley without involving such an important factor as its inhabitants." Therefore, her focus was on the human and social aspects of the region. During her journey, she extensively interacted with people from all strata of Chinese society: officials, scholars, merchants, petty officials, soldiers, farmers, laborers, beggars, boatmen, sedan bearers, jiangmen (rafters on the Yangtze), philanthropists, Chinese Christians, Tibetan lords and lamas, and observed a wide range of aspects of late Qing society, including politics, economy, religion, education, transportation, folklore, foreign trade, urban construction, charity, medical aid, the spread of Christianity in China, and the prevalence of opium in China. Contemporary reviews praised the book for "conveying the true impression of this country and its people to the world." It is worth noting that the author lived in the late 19th century, and her thoughts were filled with sympathy for China and concern for the lower classes, which was rare at the time. Of course, she was not isolated from her surroundings and was inevitably influenced by the dominant British imperialist ideology of her time, which sometimes led to colonialist perspectives in her writings. This was a limitation of her era, and we should not be too critical of it. The translator has already added some notes in the main text of the book, but it is still worth reminding readers to pay attention when reading it. When Isabella came to China in 1896, she was already 65 years old and suffering from multiple diseases such as "hyperlipidemic heart weakness," pulmonary infection, gout, and "periodic spinal atrophy." Yet she traveled across the ocean and braved the turbulent waves of the Yangtze, delving into the remote regions of Sichuan-Tibet, writing tens of thousands of words of exploration and travelogue. In the context of 100 years ago, when transportation was inconvenient, this cannot be called anything but a remarkable achievement. Isabella passed away in Edinburgh in 1904, and doctors published an article in a medical journal, noting that her physiology and psychology were mysteriously contradictory. Someone wrote: "She was plagued by diseases at home but became a mighty Samson abroad. How could illness and strength coexist in such an ordinary body? Yet her situation allowed both to operate in parallel for many years." Isabella’s researchers believed that people "were completely determined by their environment in achieving certain goals," and that harsh environments could maximize the potential of individuals. In reality, her spirit of exploration continues to inspire countless serious social scientists to this day to pursue relentless exploration efforts. 1898: A British Woman’s View of China was praised by critics as "the most brilliant book of the late 19th century, completely proving the value of China." Today, translating this book aims to provide some materials for scholars of modern Chinese history and to have a positive practical significance for further understanding and mastering the national conditions of China.